Watching the Red Sox bullpen a test of patience so far

APHideki Okajima hands Terry Francona the ball during the eighth inning of Friday night's 4-3 Royals win over the Red Sox. Okajima played a part in the Red Sox bullpen coughing up two runs that inning, resulting in the loss.

There's no reason to freak out. There's no reason to freak out.

Just about any time that Terry Francona has made a call to the bullpen so far this season, that's the mantra I recite. And just about every time, things seem to take a revolting turn for the worse. Consider the following:

-- On Opening Night, Ramon Ramirez and Hideki Okajima combined to cough up two runs in the seventh inning, allowing the Yankees to take a 7-5 lead. The Red Sox recover to win, 9-7.

-- During Tuesday night's game with the Yankees, Okajima allowed a ground-rule double and a single in the eighth inning with the score tied, 4-4. Marco Scutaro's subsequent throwing error loaded the bases, and Okajima then walked a run in, making it a 5-4 game. The Yankees eventually won, 6-4.

-- On Wednesday, a pitcher's duel between Andy Pettitte and John Lackey was turned over to the bullpens after six innings with the Red Sox leading, 1-0. Scott Schoeneweis and Daniel Bard combined to give up the lead in the seventh, tying the game 1-1. In the 10th inning, Jonathan Papelbon allowed a home run to Curtis Granderson, followed by walks to Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter. Scott Atchinson allowed another walk and an RBI groundout, giving the Yankees a 3-1 win.

-- On Friday against the Royals, Tim Wakefield pitched a solid game, allowing two solo home runs over seven innings and leaving the game with a 3-2 lead. In the eighth, however, Okajima allowed a double, a walk, a stolen base and a single, scoring two runs. They couldn't score in the ninth, and lost 4-3.

-- On Sunday, Clay Buchholz turned in a shaky performance, but left the game after five innings with an 8-3 lead. Manny Delcarmen pitched two scoreless innings, but in the eighth inning, Ramon Ramirez allowed back-to-back singles, followed by a three-run homer by Jose Guillen, cutting Boston's lead to 8-6. The blast forced Francona to call in Bard, who ended the inning without any further damage.

There's plenty of time to get things right -- months, in fact. Thus far, however, the Sox bullpen has allowed an opponent to take a late-inning lead in four out of six games played. The team has lost three of those. And in two of Boston's three wins -- Opening Night and yesterday -- the bullpen faltered, but the team won on the strength of its offense.

Maybe it's jitters. Maybe it's early-season kinks. Or maybe it's the result of facing the taxing Yankees offense to start the season, and failing to recover in time to pitch effectively against the Royals.

For a team supposedly built on pitching and defense in 2010, however, the performance so far is not going to cut it. Not in a division as unforgiving as the American League East.